Liebster Award!

I’ve been nominated by Acid Free Pulp * for a Liebster award. Thanks again! My blog Grotesque Ground is still young, so this award certainly helps. Liebster Award is all about promoting and finding great blogs that don’t have lots of followers (yet). I find this award a great idea for the blog community.

* you should totally check out her wonderful blog about books and books related things

The Rules:

1. Thank the blogger that nominated you and link back to their blog.
2. Display the award somewhere on your blog.
3. List 11 facts about yourself.
4. Answer 11 questions chosen by the blogger that nominated you.
5. Come up with 11 new questions to ask your nominees.
6. Nominate 5-11 blogs that you think deserve the award and who have fewer than 1,000 followers. (You may nominate blogs that have already received the award, but you cannot renominate the blog that nominated you.)
7. Go to their blog and inform them that they’ve been nominated.

Eleven Facts About Me

1. My name is Alice.
2. I enjoy watching trailers before a movie in theater.
3. My home is overflowing with books.
4. Still, I love second-hand bookshops and adding new books to the piles that begin to land on the floor.
5. There was a time when I did not watch horrors at all. I was too frightened to do so practically till high school. Look at me now.
6. I can watch “The Dirty Dozen” (1967) whenever it plays on TCM. I consider it a total masterpiece.
7. I love character actors that have unfamiliar names but unforgettable faces.
8. Some books I read more than 10 years ago I still consider the best. I’m a bit afraid to read them again. What if I destroy the illusion?
9. Not much can gross me out in movies anymore.
10. I am not a snob, whether it means movies, books, music, or fashion. Read, watch, listen to and wear whatever you like, that does not make you a better or worse person.
11. I cannot play the drums, but that is my favorite instrument.

Eleven Answers

1. When did you start your blog?

At the end of November 2013.

2. What was the motivation behind it?

I realized that I enjoy all that may be called grotesque in movies or literature. I also began to notice many grotesque elements in news and culture. Still, the word is often used as a pejorative term. Maybe I can change it just a bit by promoting great works that are grotesque. It worked with words like “weird.” Another motif is the need to improve my writing skills. I see the small progress already.

3. Have you found anything surprising about blogging?

Yes, I found myself learning more and more about the subject that I want to write about. This constant supply of new facts makes me want to abandon the topic altogether! But I continue my research and hope you will see the results soon.

4. Do you have a personal favorite post on your blog?

Right now I have only several posts! But yes, my post about the movie “13 Beloved” is my favorite. (link here)

5. Has the point of view for your blog changed since you started it (strayed into other directions)?

It inevitably is more movie-oriented than books-oriented, though literature is here to stay.

6. Any favorite internet places for wonderful procrastination in the art vein or otherwise?

Here are the wonderful sites that will allow you hours of procrastination and you will actually learn many new things:

http://selvedgeyard.com/ – according to the about page “a website that celebrates cultural icons in the world of motorcycles, muscle cars, rock & roll, cinema, pin-up beauties, kustom kulture, Americana, photography, art, design, menswear, style, literature, and adventure.”

http://www.messynessychic.com/ – lots of interesting stories and articles on art, design, vintage, history, tourism, bookshops, etc. I especially recommend the cycle “13 Things I Found on the Internet Today”.

http://forgottenmovieclassics.com/ – a great source for movies that are not well-known, but are classics nonetheless. You will find movies of any genre here. The style of writing is very appealing and I didn’t notice any spoilers. Check out this entry about Jacob’s Ladder here.

http://www.brainpickings.org/ – articles on creativity, books, psychology, illustrations and many other subjects. You will always find something new to inspire you.

7. What has been your favorite place to visit and why?

I believe I must travel more before I decide on my favorite.

8. If you could meet any historical figure, dead or alive, who would it be?

Shakespeare! Or whoever wrote these plays! I would finally know.

9. Time for that completely unanswerable question: What’s your favorite book?

Definitely “Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell. “The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov is very close. “Catch-22” by Joseph Heller is third then.

10. I can’t leave out the Proust questionnaire: What is your most treasured possession?

Probably my writings and drawings.

11. Jet ski or 100 bottles wine? Which is a better prize?

A jet ski.

My nominees alphabetically: (and I read them all regularly)

At the Matinée http://atthematinee.wordpress.com/ – a new blog, articles introducing interesting ideas about movies and movie industry, written by a film journalist

Enchanted by Film  http://enchantedbyfilm.wordpress.com/ – news about movies and festivals, lists of movies to watch, great movie essays, all by a lovely film student

Fright Film Geek http://frightfilmgeek.blogspot.com/ – horror film history, all about the black-and-white classics, including tidbits you never knew about

Homodrome http://homodrome.wordpress.com/ – a blog about horror movies and TV series, reviews, lists, news and great photos

rosemary’s pixie http://rosemaryspixie.com/ – horror, sci-fi and fantasy movies and TV shows, all written in an entertaining style of one pixie

I hope each of them accepts the nomination, even if they prefer review-style posts.

Questions for Bloggers

1. What made you become a blogger?
2. What is the movie that you would recommend anyone to watch?
3. What is the movie that you hate but everyone else seems to love?
4. Who are your three favorite directors?
5. What is the fear of yours that would make a great horror movie?
6. What is your favorite book?
7. Do you have a personal favorite post on your blog?
8. What have you learned recently thanks to blogging?
9. If you could live the next two years in any country where would you choose?
10. Is there anything else that you would blog about, other than movies?
11. What is your dream job?

Now I’m going to let them know about the award! I hope the bloggers will have fun answering these questions and don’t forget to nominate other blogs. I can’t wait to read their entries and find more interesting sites to follow.